“Design fixation” is the tendency to fixate on the features of known solutions when trying to create novel solutions (Jansson & Smith, 1991). For example, a subject who is shown an existing chair and then asked to design an improved chair is likely to fixate on features of the existing chair when attempting to design an improved chair. Such fixation can lead the subject to overlook features that would be useful to include in an improved chair, but which are lacking in the existing chair.